Progress to Worms
Renewing Your Mind
Ligonier Ministries
4.8 • 5.3K Ratings
🗓️ 30 October 2025
⏱️ 26 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
No pope or church council can bind the conscience absolutely. Only the Word of God can. Today, R.C. Sproul explores what led Martin Luther to take his courageous stand for the authority of Scripture at the Diet of Worms.
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Meet Today's Teacher:
R.C. Sproul (1939–2017) was founder of Ligonier Ministries, first minister of preaching and teaching at Saint Andrew's Chapel, first president of Reformation Bible College, and executive editor of Tabletalk magazine.
Meet the Host:
Nathan W. Bingham is vice president of media for Ligonier Ministries, executive producer and host of Renewing Your Mind, and host of the Ask Ligonier podcast.
Renewing Your Mind is a donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Unless I'm convinced by sacred scripture or by evident reason, I cannot recant. |
| 0:07.8 | For my conscience is held captive by the word of God, and to act against conscience is neither right nor safe. |
| 0:16.5 | Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me. |
| 0:21.6 | Those courageous words of Martin Luther just read by R.C. Sprawl have given countless |
| 0:33.6 | Christians' courage to stand firm in their day. |
| 0:36.6 | And today, we must also stand firm and not |
| 0:40.1 | compromise. You're listening to Renewing Your Mind. I'm your host, Nathan W. Bingham. Tomorrow is |
| 0:48.5 | Reformation Day, October 31st, because on that day in 1517, Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses |
| 0:57.0 | to the Castle Church door in Wittenberg, Germany. But his bold stand in a city called |
| 1:03.0 | Verms, three and a half years later, took even more courage as he refused to recant. |
| 1:10.0 | Today, R. C. Sprold describes the events leading up to this bold |
| 1:14.6 | stand by Luther, dramatically recounting his speech and the surprising escape that ensued. Here's Dr. |
| 1:22.0 | Sprole. In our last session, mentioned Luther's visit to Heidelberg and how that was a wonderful |
| 1:32.7 | occasion for winning many more people in Germany to the Lutheran cause. |
| 1:40.8 | Well, the next great crisis took place the same year, 1518, when instead of Luther's going |
| 1:48.5 | to Rome to be tried for heresy, Rome came to Germany in the person of their most able |
| 1:57.5 | theologian, Cardinal Cajiton. Luther was promised safe conduct if he would meet with |
| 2:06.3 | Cajeton in the city of Augsburg. Now, some of his friends urged him not to go, fearing that he |
| 2:15.6 | would be betrayed and would be carried off to Rome and be burned |
| 2:19.9 | at the stake as a heretic. |
| 2:22.8 | But Luther wanted to go because this was his wish come true, that he would have the opportunity |
| 2:29.7 | to have a reasoned debate and discussion with the princes of the church about these matters. |
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